No other forum charges people to sell items. The basis of selling on forums was to shift the business away from ebay who has become one big monopoly and never protect sellers. I think the BST threads will be a ghost town now.
Off the top of my head I can name a forum that charges way more than the cost here.
The basis of selling here has never been to divert sales from ebay, but to give collectors an opportunity to help other collectors get pieces. Selling here has never had anything to do with ebay, selling g here has always been considered a privilege, not a right which is a testament to the fact it is not a competitor of ebays, nor is here to get their business. In fact I know a few times it has been considered getting rid of the commerce section completely, which if we were here to only steal ebays business - that would not even be thought of.
However the premium membership is not there solely so you can sell items.
if you opt to be a premium member, you also get other things like a larger avatar and inbox, you can have ananimated sig, a custom user title to name a few tthings.
Dave has bee paying for this forum out of his pocket since it's inception, so I dont think it unreasonable to ask for help towards the costs after the 10 years of free surfing we've had here.
Personally I don't consider the premium charge to be there only to sell, I consider it a contribution to this form that I spend a lot of time at and have made many friends on, $25 is imo minimal considering what we all get from this place and the community within it.
...and those that dont want to, don't have to become a premium member, its not enforced on anyone.
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